The issues that come up most often when connecting email, and what to check for each.
Forwarding isn't working
Check your Commslayer inbox for a confirmation email. This is the most common cause by far. Most providers send a confirmation link to verify the forwarding address, and it arrives in Commslayer, not in your own mailbox. Forwarding stays inactive until you click it.
Then check:
- Forwarding is enabled, not just added — in Gmail it's a separate radio button
- You used forward or redirect, not "send as" or "reply to"
- The rule forwards all messages, not a filtered subset
DNS records aren't verifying
- Give it time. Usually a few minutes, up to 48 hours.
- Check propagation at whatsmydns.net
- Make sure your domain isn't in the Name field twice — most hosts append it for you
- Copy the values exactly, with no trailing spaces
- On Cloudflare, set the proxy to "DNS only" (the grey cloud)
Emails aren't appearing in Commslayer
- Confirm forwarding is active at your provider
- Copy the forwarding address fresh from Commslayer and check it matches
- Look for filters or rules catching messages before they forward
Your provider blocks external forwarding
Some providers block forwarding to outside addresses by default. Microsoft 365 does this — enable external forwarding first. Other providers may need the same change, or a request to their support.
Sent emails don't show in Gmail or Outlook
This is expected. With Standard setup, Commslayer sends through our servers, so your replies won't appear in your old Sent folder. Incoming mail still shows in both places because it's forwarded.
Old emails didn't come across
Forwarding only moves new mail. To bring conversation history over, use the migration tool.
Still stuck?
Email karri@commslayer.com.